10 Important Questions About ‘Game Of Thrones’ Season 4, Answered

With about nine million characters, and literally thousands of years of mythology to keep track of, Game of Thrones can be exhausting to follow. That’s what we’re here for: this post should hopefully answer some of your most burning season four finale questions. I tried to keep it as spoiler-free for season five as possible, but there are hints at what’s to come.

1. Why does Arya want to go to Braavos?

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Braavos is the home of Syrio Forel (Arya’s “dancing” instructor) and Jaqen H’ghar, as well as the Iron Bank, which Stannis and Davos visited earlier this season. It’s considered the most powerful of the Free Cities, and Arya receives passage there because of the coin she received from H’ghar. Before he shifts faces in the season two finale, he tells Arya that if she goes to Braavos, she must show the coin to a Braavosi and say “valar morghulis.” All men must die, though not before helping Arya go east. (As for why she’s heading there, and not the Wall: it’s as simple as, that’s where the boat’s going.)

2. Where is Tyrion off to?

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Unfortunately that’s not something that can be discussed yet. There’s an answer, but that would be a pretty big spoiler for next season (all you need to know right now is he’s on the Narrow Sea). But the show added a nice wrinkle by having Varys tag along. That should result in some fun #TrueDetectiveSeason2 adventures on the high seas.

3. Where the heck is Myrcella?

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Remember Myrcella? Me neither, but even though she was shipped off to Dorne to marry Trystane Martell forever ago, she still plays an important role in the future of the show. She’s a Baratheon (at least in name — she’s actually Jaime’s daughter), and she’s also the one person who makes Cersei seem human — she genuinely cares about Myrcella, so her being thousands of miles away is pure torture, and it’s only going to get worse now that Oberyn’s dead…

4. Also, where the heck is Gendry?

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Good question. Anya’s childhood idol was also away all season, which is a big deal considering how some people believe HE’s the rightful heir to the Throne. Last we saw Gendry, Davos was helping him escape Dragonstone on a rowboat. He’s on his way to King’s Landing, but considering how off-book his entire story has been (for instance, in the novel, he’s second-cousin related to Dany, but the show got rid of Jaehaerys II, so it’s unknown if they’re still family; plus, he never leaves the Brotherhood without Banners), it’s impossible to know exactly where he is now. So there’s your answer: who knows.

5. Why did Melisandre look so fascinated by Jon Snow?

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The thing to remember about Jon Snow is that even though he kind of sucks, and way too many attractive women are interested in him, he still has royal blood flowing through his veins, which explains why Melisandre was peering so intensely at him through the fire in the finale. This will probably be touched upon next season, but up to this point, Melisandre is convinced Stannis is Azor Ahai reborn (he’s the Game of Thrones version of Dayman, fighter of the Nightman). There are reasons to believe Jon Snow might play a role in her visions, however. But they’ll get to that.

So they’re going by the logic that it used to be a kingdom before the Targaeryens just made Westeros one big kingdom. Okay, that makes sense, I was just a bit skeptical because the show seems to portray the North itself as just a region. Robb even demanded they declare it a separate kingdom when he went to war with the Lannisters.

Yeah, technically, Starks, Baratheons, Greyjoys, Lannisters, Arryn, Tullys, and Martells all have “king’s blood” since they were all king of their respective kingdom before the Targaryens invaded and unified them by dragonfire.

But I would think Melissandre’s look at Jon Snow is more of a foreshadowing that she’s seen him in one of her visions in fire.

I know why Melisandre is interested in Jon, though it hasn’t been stated in the show yet. My original contention was about Jon having “royal blood flowing through his veins” because that particular theory (which I happen to believe) has not been proven via book nor show.

I think it’s becoming clearer and clearer that having old Stark blood is a bigger deal than normal family heritage. The North in general, The Wall, the Children of the Forest, the Weirwood trees, etc. all have some mystical properties to them. Being a Stark, whether bastard or not, has serious implications in this story as it trends towards winter, white walkers, etc. So everyone downplaying the importance of the Stark blood are idiots.

@Hitmanmonkey : I think he implies it, by the language below. Not confirmed, though. Or maybe not. Or maybe Martin is just going to fuck with us all.

“That’s another twist [to come]. It’s a great conundrum. Ned really knows who [Jon’s parents are], but he can’t let on. That’s why it’s such a moving moment, those poignant scenes I have with Kit Harington [who plays Jon], because I couldn’t say what I really thought. There are so many things I could have said, because there is a love there between the two of them, but I can’t express it as overtly as I can with the other children, who I can hold and kiss. Even if I were his true father, I can’t talk about it for fear of offending my wife, who’s really bitter about this. “

In the books,Nned is constantly say “No one can know” about Jon. He has black hair. Ned wehen we meet him is a much more serious guy than Robert. May be Robert losing his love, Ned’s sister, made him a party animal.recall The opening episode had Robert and Ned visting the crypt of Ned’s sister ,and Robert telling Ned how they all 3 could’ve ruled together. In short, there are strong hints Robert and Ned’s sister were in fact married secretly, or at least Jon isher and Robert’s son. And Ned played along to protect his friend’s alliance with the Lannisters through unhappliy marrying Cersei and his own nephew, even if it damaged his relationship with Kat.

I highly doubt stubbornly honorable Ned would boom-chucka-boom with someone other than his wife. He would, however, lie to protect his sister’s son – from Robert. That’s my theory and I’m sticking to it. Hopefully we get to hear from Howland Reed at some point to confirm it.

I’m not a book reader, but my friends who are all think Jon’s father is part of the Targayren (Sp?) line, and his mother was Ned’s sister, so that’s why Ned took him in. He’s actually Danys’s uncle, and Ned’s secret nephew, if that theory holds up. They’re very convinced of this, for all the reasons said above (Ned was a honorable man, Jon has dark hair, Ned worried about what Robert thought).

Plus there is the thing with Robb legitimizing Jon as a true Stark in his will, making him a true heir to Winterfell. Though Jon doesn’t know this happened perhaps through the Red Priestess magic she knows. My money is on the R+L=J though…

In the books she is very interested in Mance’s son, who does not seem to be a part of the show, and Mance basically did the exact same thing Robb did. At least the Starks had been kings before Aegon’s Conquest. Mance was a NW turncloak who more or less appointed/was appointed king by the wildlings.

@DrLucienSanchez It’s not that Ned worried what Robert B thought, it’s that Robert wanted ALL Targaryens killed. If Jon truly is a Targaryen, he was in danger from birth and not just from Robert. But especially by Robert, if he was Rhaegar and Lyanna’s son.Robert died thinking Rhaegar kidnapped his true love when there is at least hints that not only were Rhaegar and Lyanna in love, but that they married.

So if the theory is that Jon is Robert/Ned’s sister’s son and was legitimized by Robb Stark in his will, that would make him the King in the North and the rightful King as recognized in King’s Landing. That’s gotta be it, no?

Robert is certainly not Jon’s father. It’s made pretty clear in the early chapters of GoT that Robert thinks Jon is Ned’s bastard. Also, it’s pretty obvious that Lyanna doesn’t really return Robert’s affection.

This is speculation, but Jons royal blood has nothing to do with the Starks. The war with the mad king really took off when Neds sister Ellia was kidnapped by Rheghar Targaryan. Ned never spoke about Jons mother, and he was an honorable man. To be a dragon, you have to be born of the blood, and remember the Targaryan sigil is a 3 headed dragon. So, obviously, Dany is a dragon, as her mother died in childbirth with her. As for Jon, I think he was actually the son of Rheghar and we know that Ellia dies, but are not given the circumstances of her death. I believe she died giving birth to Jon and he is of the blood, and a dragon. Lastly, we all know Tyrions mother died giving birth to him. Tywin always makes claims about how he can’t prove that Tyrons not his son, but it is known that their mother liked king Aeryss and I think it’s very likely that these 3 are the new dragons. With regards to Jon, I think he’s the most likely for this to be true. The red woman didn’t see just kings blood and power, but the power of the Dragon that he has.

@Jean-Ralphio the first men were normal men just from essos ([awoiaf.westeros.org]) the Andals are just from a different part of essos and came later, all of which are normal humans. The giants and the Children got along pretty well with each other.

It was a war of attrition, there were more first men than Children, plus the first men knew how to smelt metal and domesticate animals. The Children may have had magic but they were still pretty primitive.

The Children of the Forest have always had super powers. The reason they weren’t wiped out by the First Men is because they had magic. And they used that magic, along with the giants, to help Bran the Builder build the wall. I’m not a book reader, so I obviously have no idea how certain plot points played out in the books, but the Children have always had powers.

QUESTION: Was Shae a spy/plant from the very beginning (sent by Tywin)? He’d done that before and the information was useful. Where do you find a woman that attractive in a war camp– it’s the bottom of the prostituting barrel. Her look of lustful longing when she rolled over last night was truly heartbreaking.

Yeah I think besides working in Littlefinger’s brothel, the Lannister camp, the richest army in the land, with a lot of fair noble knights from important families, is probably the second best position for a whore.

To be fair to SteveBram, never in the book is it said that she isn’t. I actually asked myself the question after the whole scene, and that’s why the show is such a great complement. That would be some pretty great conniving on Tywin’s part, insuring him his son will always have a handicap. If you subtract Shae from the equation, Tyrion wouldn’t have to fear Cersei, and would be a more powerful Hand to deal with. The irony is that because of Shae, Tyrion and Varys alliance transformed into a real friedship, which ultimately saved his life. A friendship that Tywin couldn’t forsee, that word being meanigless to him.

…I don’t know, she’s probably just a whore, but you can dismiss it entirely.

It really depends if you’re talking about book or show Shae, because Shae in the book is clearly motivated by money and could easily be a tywin plant (although I’d say no, she isn’t) but tv Shae’s intentions have been a little murkier.

I don’t know what happens in the books, but I would like to see Tyrion & Varys join forces with Dany for two reasons. 1. I think it would be cool. 2. Dany would finally get to meet other people from the main cast.

RE: Stannis “His motivation is a little unclear in the books…” Disagree. You make it sound as if he has ulterior motives, when his motives, at least in the book, are actually quite pure.

“Yes, I should have come sooner. If not for my hand, I might not have come at all. Lord Seaworth is a man of humble birth, but he reminded me of my duty, when all I could think of was my rights. I had the cart before the horse, Davos said. I was trying to win the throne to save the kingdom, when I should have been trying to save the kingdom to win the throne.”

Yeah Melissandre has come to Stannis all along so that they can fight “darkness”, ie the White Walkers.
And Stannis being the only sensible king in the realm (thanks in no small part to Davos’ counsel) knows that he needs to defend his realm if he wants to be king of anything at some point, and the Wildlings and White Walkers were a threat to that.

Stannis is already convinced that Gendry is Robert’s son…If it turns out that Gendry’s mother was actually a high born lady (we only know who Gendry thought she was)…I think Stannis would crown the boy himself and serve as his hand.

I guess Skagos is a detail from the books. In the show, he and Osha and Shaggydog went to Last Hearth, seat of House Umber (the house of that Stark bannerman who got two of his fingers chomped off by Robb’s direwolf near the end of season one).

Re: Tyrion – I assume he’s also headed to the Free Cities, right? No way he’s being shipped off to another place in Westeros.

Re: Myrcella – Is there any reason to think she’s no longer in Dorne? If the other Martells are anything like Oberyn, she’s probably doing alright. Maybe the best-off person in the entirety of Westeros.

Re: Gendry – Who knows. Boat got tipped over, maybe?

Re: Jon Snow – (POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT KEEP READING AND IT’S ON YOU) I read a theory that Jon Snow is a Targaryen. That he’s not Ned’s bastard, but the son of his sister Lyanna and Rhaegar Targaryen. So there’s your royal blood.
(SPOILER OVER)

Re: The Hound – Probably.

Re: Stannis & the Wall – Maybe Stannis thinks defeating the Wildling threat will get the people to support his claim to the Iron Throne. Maybe he wants Mance Rayder’s army for himself.

Here’s another question. We got very little White Walker action this season, but we did get the scene with the horned walker/Craster’s baby/White Crawler. Anyone have a clue what was up there? I know some people have speculated that the line of cloaked/armored walkers behind the “king” in that scene were the rest of the ruling class, or a version of his king’s guard. But, operating under the assumption that a White Walker baby would be useless unless it ever grows up, what if those were all his children? Or, rather, Craster’s sons. Not sure who that would make the King White Walker, exactly, but maybe he’s a far north version of Tywin Lannister, primarily occupied with furthering his family line.

Spoiler – My guess is he is either a show version of “The Night’s King” who is briefly mentioned in the novels as having lived long ago, or the “enemy of R’hilor” that Melisandre references all the time.

Well because they basically cut the entire character it was in reference too. I haven’t read the books, so I’ve only picked up a few things here and there, but backstory like that is a lot easier to convey in literature than it is in a TV show.

If that picture is considered a spoiler then people aren’t really clear on what a spoiler is. You literally have to know what happens in the books in order to be spoiled for that. I’m sorry but the culture of “No Spoilers” needs to be fought because it’s full of retards.

No, Dorne is part of the Seven Kingdoms. Just look up the map, it won’t spoil anything. The free cities are across the sea and are called such because they aren’t slaver cities. For instance, Braavos was founded by freed slaves and slavery is outlawed, like in Westeros.

In the books Stannis makes it clear he wants to legitimatize Jon. Making Jon the rightful heir to Winterfell. Which is a good plan to get the North to back Stannis (a Southerner). Honestly do you think the North is excited about the Boltons being in charge now?